Happy Deathday, Mr Shakespeare, and World Book Night 2017

Tonight is World Book Night, an occasion which always falls on the anniversary of William Shakespeare's death. (It's also quite possibly the anniversary of his birth, but there isn't an extant record of that, whereas there is one of his death.)

With that in mind, might I suggest you place an order for Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu this evening, or if you've already got the book, read one of the short stories contained within? After all, they're very good.

Happy Birthday, Mr Shakespeare!

Today is St George's Day, World Book Night, and William Shakespeare's 450th birthday!

Having studied various Shakespeare plays throughout my school years the Bard's work inevitably ended up influencing my own creative endeavours, none more so than my Fighting Fantasy gamebooks.

It all began with the first proposal I sent to Puffin Books, Outlaws of Kaan. Even though that adventure was not meant to be, elements of it were recycled in everything from Spellbreaker and Knights of Doom, right through to Night of the Necromancer.

The more obvious Shakespearean influences in my gamebooks include the witches from Spellbreaker (obviously Macbeth), Belgaroth and his fiend-like queen from Knights of Doom (also Macbeth), Balinac and Erasmus's Cell on Bone Island in Bloodbones (The Tempest), as well as Valsinore Castle and a certain ghost in Night of the Necromancer (Hamlet).

Balinac, by Tony Hough.

There are others, some of which are more obscure than others. For example the Spirit Beast on Bone Island in Bloodbones is based on the invisible monster in '50s sci-fi classic Forbidden Planet, which was itself based on The Tempest, the invisible monster being that particular movie's take on Prospero's slave Caliban.

Belgaroth the Sorcerer, by Tony Hough.

Joy to the World!

World Book Night - A Dilemma

So, ages ago now (well April 23) I ran a competition on this blog connected to World Book Night.

I invited readers of this blog to write a limerick about one of my books, or a character from one of my books, and the best would receive a World Book Night book as a prize.

And I'm pleased to say... we have a winner! Congratulations Chelley Cartwright!

Now here comes the dilemma. Chelley's limerick actually gives away the twist in the tale for the story she took as her inspiration. This was always a possibility I suppose and it's met I've had a tough decision to make. The upshot is that Chelley is the winner but I won't be posting her poem here.

Sorry, Chelley. Hopefully a free copy of Harlequin will help to sugar this bitter pill.

Saint George's Day

As well as being World Book Night and Shakespeare's birthday, today is also Saint George's Day, of course. England's patron saint was a native of the Middle East and is best known now for killing a dragon that, we are told, had something of a taste for princesses.

I haven't written any stories featuring Saint George and the Dragon (other than a piece I wrote at school when I was 14 or 15, or thereabouts), but I have written a few featuring knights and, naturally for a fantasy writer, dragons.

If you're after knights you might enjoy Knights of Doom, Night of the Necromancer or my short story Sir Dagobert's Last Battle.

If it's dragons you're after, you might enjoy the novella Conqueror Worm, Stormslayer or even my Doctor Who novel Terrible Lizards.

World Book Night 2012

Today is World Book Night (if that's not a contradiction in terms), during which one million books will be given away by thousands volunteers - and I'm one of them.

The book I wanted to give away was Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, but I'm imagining that was a very popular choice and so I got my second choice instead, Harlequin by Bernard Cornwell.

Here's what the World Book Night site has to say about the book:

It was a time when the English went across the Channel and took the war to the French. The English had a secret weapon. The army may have been lead by the King, the great lords and the knights, but it was the bowmen, the common men, who would achieve remarkable success.

Thomas of Hookton was one of those archers. But he also had a mission. He made a promise - a vow to God - to retrieve a relic stolen from his family home by the same French raiders who killed his father.

The search leads him into a world where lovers become enemies, enemies become friends and always, somewhere beyond the horizon that is smeared with the smoke of fires set by the rampaging English army, a terrible enemy awaits him.

Thomas of Hookton has to prevent that enemy from harnessing the power of Christendom's greatest relic - the grail itself. And so begins the quest that will lead him through the fields of France, until at last the two armies face each other on a hillside near the village of Crecy. And Thomas is put to his greatest test.

Harlequin combines a wonderful cast of kings and knights, mercenaries and monks, superb scenes and wonderful set pieces, all led by one of Cornwell's strongest characters and the haunting mystery of the Grail.

Apparently Bernard Cornwell is one of the most borrowed authors in the UK, most famous for his Sharpe books. Harlequin is the first book in his Grail Quest trilogy. Rich with detail, it leads the reader into an extraordinary world.

Preparing the books I'm going to be giving away...

I'll be giving my books away in and around Ealing tomorrow, and I want to give you the opportunity to receive a copy of Harlequin too. All you have to do is write a limerick about one of my books, or a character from one of my books, and the best will receive a World Book Night book as a prize.

So what are you waiting for? You have until 23:59 BST Friday to get your entries in (and yes, you may enter more than once), posting your poem(s) in the comments section after this blog post.

So good luck, and enjoy World Book Night!

Beware: genre authors bite!

A group of 85 genre* authors have signed a letter addressed to the BBC about the corporation's glossing over of a whole gamut of books during their World Book Night schedule.

The protest, which was led by Stephen Hunt (of SF Crowsnest fame, amongst other things) has been reported on in the Bookseller and elsewhere.

Among the signatories of the aforementioned letter were a number of writers known to me personally along with my editor Jon Oliver of Abaddon and Solairs Books. Movers and shakers all, if really is a case of who you know in this world...

* That's science-fiction, fantasy and horror, in case you were wondering.

Anno Frankenstein goodies

Look what came in the post today!

That's right - lots of Anno Frankenstein goodies featuring the fantastic Vetruvian SteamFrank as designed by the inestimable Pye Parr. What you've got there is a promotional postcard, notebook and poster, along with a few Pax Britannia fridge magnets (also designed by Pye).

What's even better is that those people who won my recent forum competition will be receiving a couple of these choice items in the post along with their books.

Here's me excitedly showing off the goodies whilst wearing my brand new Anno Frankenstein* T-shirt.

And here's me holding my copy of Dissolution which Magemanda of Floor to Ceiling Books kindly sent me in her capacity as a book giver for World Book Night.

* You can pre-order your copy of Pax Britannia: Anno Frankenstein here!

Official Doctor Who Book Signing

As the (so-called) great and the good spout forth about literary fiction for World Book Night (in a most patronising manner, I might add), here's my contribution...

I popped down to Olympia Two today I catch up with the guys who were there to sign the first two Doctor Who Children's Books releases of 2011. Having met many of them over the 'net, it was great to meet them in the flesh (as it were). As well as Justin Richards (author of Death Riders), Trevor Baxendale (who's written Heart of Stone), Oli Smith (System Wipe) and Colin Brake (The Good, the Bad and the Alien), cover artist Paul Campbell was there as well, who told me that he's just started roughing out the cover for my book Terrible Lizards.

Justin Richards and Trevor Baxendale

Colin Brake and cover artist Paul Campbell. (The guy on the left's Oli Smith, by the way.)

It was also good to meet Hermione and Leanne from Penguin Books (at long last) but it seems I left before this particular guest dropped by. Good thing I met him a month ago at the SFX Weekender.